World Bank: Two-Thirds of Moroccan Women Overweight or Obese, Global Rates Soar

This is a major health problem posed by this World Bank report. Overweight and obesity are measured using the BMI (body mass index), the financial institution specifies. It adds that the number of overweight or obese people has almost tripled since 1975. This now implies 4 million deaths worldwide each year, nearly two-thirds of which are due to cardiovascular disease.

For many years, the subject has been considered a public health problem only in high-income countries. Today, overweight and obesity are widespread in low- and middle-income countries due to malnutrition.

As for Morocco, considered by the report as a lower-middle-income country, there is 14.9% stunting in children under 5 and 66% of women are obese or overweight. Nevertheless, the level of the "double burden of malnutrition/obesity-overweight" is considered "moderate" in the kingdom, according to H24infos.

According to the same source, between 2000 and 2017, the obesity rate in Morocco increased from 13.2 to 20%, an increase of about 7 points. Obesity affects women three times more (29%) than men (11%) and affects urban areas (22.8%) more than rural areas (14.9%).

The report also points out that Morocco is the only country in North Africa to have implemented a tax on the marketing of sugary drinks. Since 2019, the kingdom has introduced a specific VAT, estimated at 0.7 DH/liter, on non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages containing more than 5 mg of sugar/100 ml; 0.6 DH/liter on energy drinks (up 20%); 0.15 DH/liter on nectars (up 50%), and 0.45 DH/liter for soft drink manufacturers (up 50%).